Ms. Foster paced the room as Ziggy stared at her, trying to find a way to begin. Her earlier slip had put her in a position she didn't want to be in. She knew that if she tried to lie to him, to simply skim over the fact she knew about Bob and his connection to him, then he would see right through him. The day she dreaded had come, the day she had to tell him the truth.
"Ziggy, you know I love you..."
"Why do I get a bad feeling whenever someone says that to me?" He interrupted her. Ms. Foster looked at him a little regretfully.
"I'm going to explain everything. It isn't going to be easy to hear, I just beg you to let me finish." She said in a whisper. Ziggy nodded, looking both confused and nervous about what she had to say. "Benny came to visit me a few days ago, he told me you found out about Bob."
She paused for a second, taking a deep breath.
"Benny and I have known each other for a lot longer than you think." She stated, making him no less confused. "He knew me before I had to give you up for adoption. Ziggy, you're my son."
"I'm your son?" Ziggy asked her, his mouth hanging open in shock. She nodded to confirm what he had asked.
"I had to give you up for your own safety after the hit." She explained as she continued. "It was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to do."
She made her way to the counter, opening a drawer and pulling out an old, slightly tattered picture, staring at it sadly.
"Shortly after I gave you up, I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors managed to save me, but only by giving me a full hysterectomy." She informed him. "After that, I just had to be near you, to look after you, but I knew I couldn't take you back without putting you in danger, so I called Benny."
"Benny?" Ziggy asked her.
"He had a false identity set up, and helped me get facial reconstructive surgery." She said as she remembered. "Kerry Grover died, and Helen Foster was born. I applied for a job at your orphanage so I could be close to you. In time, I became the Matron."
"You've been with me for my entire life." He said a little angrily. "Why didn't you tell me? You know how much it would have meant to me."
"It hurt me too, I wanted to tell you every day, but I knew that it would put you in danger." She explained as she took his hand.
"But I was desperate for a family, you know I was!" He snapped, pulling his hand away from her.
"How do you think I felt any time you said that?" She asked him. "I cared for you all your life, and I was never able to tell you the truth. You always thought that I only did it because of my job, you said it so many times, even in front of me."
Ziggy realised she was right. Any time he talked about his time with the Scorpion Cartel, he always said that he was looking for acceptance, a place where people just accepted him without needing to. He always said that although he was grateful to Ms. Foster for looking after him, he knew she only did it because it was her job. Despite his anger, he felt a little bad as he realised how much it had to hurt her to hear him say that.
"Your father doesn't know. Benny and I both thought it would be safer that way." She informed him. "I'm sorry Ziggy. We only did it because we couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."
"I understand, but it hurts." He told her. "I can't believe you went through so much to look after me."
"I gave up everything to be able to keep you safe." She said, taking his hand again. "I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. You're the only thing in the world that I couldn't lose."
She pulled him in, hugging him tightly. Ziggy was a little reluctant at first, but eventually returned the gesture. He had always loved Ms. Foster, and had always thought of her like a mother, even when he believed she only took care of him because it was her job. He still hated the fact she had kept the truth from him, but now that he thought about how much she had done for him; he knew that in time he would be able to forgive her. He had always loved her like a mother, and now he knew that was true.
"I know this is a lot to take in Ziggy, but I want you to do something." She said to him as they parted. "I want you to forgive your father."
"But he..."
"He gave up everything, just like I did for you." She interrupted him. "He's a good man, and he loves you very much. Please don't hate him."
"It's because of him we were in danger in the first place!" Ziggy stated bluntly. "If he hadn't been out there chasing the easy money..."
"It was never about the money Ziggy." She told him. "Where we grew up, gangs ran the streets. The cops that weren't paid off were too scared to do anything about it. People died every other day. Bob formed the Scorpion Cartel to force the bad element out."
"Fighting fire with fire?" Ziggy asked her. She nodded.
"His dream was always to work towards the day that the streets would be safe." She told him. "What's going on, this gang war, it's exactly like it was back home. I'm sure your dad's the one that's been taking down the other Cartels."
"D46..."
"I watch the news Ziggy, the Scorpion Cartel moved in minutes after D46 took down the cartel both times." She informed him. "It's a hell of a coincidence don't you think?"
"You think da...you think Fresno Bob's working with D46?" He asked her. Helen nodded.
"He's still got Spike Mike and the Blue Crew to get rid of." She told him. "After that, he'll have to try and destroy his own cartel."
"But they obey him." Ziggy stated. She just gave him an unconvinced look.
"Do you really think the guys that earn the big money in his organisation are just going to pack up and go home because he says so?" She asked him. "Your dad's working towards a good goal, but he always knew that he'd need to use rather less noble people to achieve that. His life is in danger."
"You want me to help him." Ziggy concluded.
"If you can't do it for yourself, then think about Tenaya and your baby." She said softly. "We needed to give you up because the world we lived in was messed up. You have a chance to make sure your child doesn't have to live in a world like that."
Ziggy got up and headed towards the door.
"I'm going to help him, but I need to talk to Tenaya first." He told her as he turned back one last time. "Thanks for everything mom."
"You always did make me proud Ziggy." She replied as he left. "I love you too."
Back at the Garage, Summer was still comforting Tenaya when Ziggy returned. Summer got up, making her way over towards Ziggy, her expression one of rage.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Summer asked him angrily. "Tenaya's in bits! You..."
"Summer, I'm here to talk to her." He rushed out, interrupting her tirade. "Please, could you just give us a minute?"
Summer looked over to Tenaya, who just nodded to signal it was alright. Summer gave Ziggy another hard glare, before storming out of the room. He knew she and Tenaya were becoming close. Obviously she was angry about the fact he had left Tenaya. He could see from here that she was upset. Knowing that he would have a lot to answer for to the Yellow Ranger if he didn't make amends, he went over to Tenaya and knelt down before her.
"I'm sorry about running out before." He began sadly. "I know you're going through a lot, I shouldn't have done that."
"It's alright; I know it's a shock." She replied. Ziggy just shook his head.
"It isn't alright Tenaya, you needed me and I let you down." He told her. "I freaked out when you told me. I didn't know if I could cope. I was worried about what kind of future I could make for our child."
"I understand Ziggy, I'm scared too." She conceded. "I don't know anything about what's happening to me. I remember so little about my life, the only things I know about what's going on is what I've been told by Dr. K and Summer."
"You don't have to worry; you aren't going to go through this alone." He assured her. "I love you."
"The thing is, I do worry Ziggy, I worry all the time." She sniffed, wiping her nose with her wrist. "I don't know what to do with a baby. I love visiting the kids at the orphanage, but I don't have the first idea how to raise a child. What if I can't cope? What if the kid hates me? What if...?"
Her words tailed off a little as she started to play with the key around her neck nervously.
"What if the baby's like me?"
"You're worried the baby will be a hybrid?" Ziggy asked her. "I don't know much about Venjix tech, but..."
"No, it's not that." She interrupted him. "My bionics aren't a part of my genetic code, and they don't grow like Dillon's used to, so there's no way they could be passed onto the baby. I'm worried that it might be...you know...like I used to be."
"You're worried the baby could be blind." He surmised. Tenaya just nodded.
"I was born without retinas. That's in my genetics; I could pass it on to the baby." She sobbed. "All the memories I have from back then were of me being cared for and looked after by others. I must have been helpless, utterly dependent on everyone else. How are we going to cope if that happens to our baby?"
"We'll cope." He assured her, pulling her into him, cradling her gently. "I will do everything I can to make the world safe for you and the baby, I promise."
He parted from her a little way, before placing a hand on her stomach, holding it gently.
"I'm going to be a dad." He said happily. "And I promise I'll do everything I can to be the best dad this kid could have, regardless of what challenges are thrown our way."
He pulled her into himself, holding her in his arms as he thought about the future. Despite all the recent revelations of his past, she represented his future. He was having a baby with the woman he loved, and as scary as that was, he was happy. He was determined to do everything he could to make the world into the kind of place he wanted to raise a child.
Later that night, Chas assembled the others in his office for a briefing. So far they had reached an impasse with the Blue Crew and Spike Mike's mob. While their territory was now small, and they had both lost a lot of ground, they had been using that time to fortify their borders, leaving them in the situation of siege warfare.
"So what's happening?" Chas asked them as he poured himself another coffee. As much as he wanted to be at home with his wife, he knew that the conspiracy was the best chance of ending the gang wars for good. He didn't want to simply ask Colonel Truman to throw his men into an all-out assault against the mobs because of the potential for casualties.
"Spike Mike's holed up for a long campaign." D46 informed him, pulling up some surveillance images on the screen. "He has provisions, ammunition, power all sealed up behind his walls. He's using the old foundry as his base of operations, but the way it's been modified, it's practically a fortress. It'd take some serious artillery to pound through the border and into the foundry."
"Ronan's holed up in the power plant in the north-eastern quadrant." Hicks stated, also pulling up the surveillance he had gathered. "They could hold out an army for months in there."
"What's the situation with the Scorpions?" Chas asked Fresno Bob.
"I've given most of the functional control to Harris." He informed them. "He's leading all the raids I order, but I've been hearing a lot of rumblings that the guys are starting to doubt my leadership. They're questioning the fact we never hold onto territory."
"What's Harris like?" Chas asked him. Bob just snorted.
"He's a ruthless bastard. He scares the shit out of even me." He replied honestly. "He's starting to get edgy. I doubt it'll be long before he stops listening to me."
"He only listened this long because he was making money out of you." Ziggy stated as he arrived. Everyone in the room looked at him, a little confused. D46 reached inside his jacket for a weapon, but Ziggy held his hands up defensively.
"I'm not here to fight, I figured everything out." He told them. "I want to help."
"Ziggy?" Fresno Bob asked him. "Why...?"
"I have my reasons. All you need to know is I want this to end." He told them. "I heard about the truck. It was a solid plan."
"It failed miserably." D46 reminded him. "I watched it all night and no one came anywhere near it."
"Of course they didn't!" Ziggy replied. "You parked a truck full of weapons and ammo just sitting on a street in the contested zone? It was too good to be true, it was an obvious trap!"
"But you said..."
"Your plan was good, but the bait was all wrong." Ziggy told them. "They need to believe in the bait if they're going to fall for it."
"So what are you suggesting?" Chas asked him. Ziggy looked to him and smiled.
"Me." He replied. "I still owe the Cartels five mil. The only reason they haven't ghosted me before now is because I'm a Ranger and it would attract too much heat. Now though they're desperate. They need money and they need it fast."
"Do you have that money?" Bob asked him. Ziggy just laughed and shook his head.
"Of course not, that shipment's long-since gone." He told them. "Of course Spike Mike and Ronan don't know that. We just have to convince them I still have it."
"How do we do that?" D46 asked him. Ziggy turned to him and stood before him, looking up into his mask.
"If we do this, there's one condition." He stated bluntly. "Tenaya and Dillon are off-limits."
"They are filthy hybrid..."
"They're victims just like you!" He interrupted him. "They both got their lives back, and they both work for us now. If you go anywhere near them, you're no better than Venjix."
"I'll stay away until this war is over." D46 answered.
"I guess that'll have to do for now." Ziggy replied. "Bob, contact Harris. Tell him you have intelligence that I still have some of that shipment. Tell him that you need funds for the next offensive and lift the no-touch policy on me. Tell him I'm fair game."
"Ziggy..."
"Hicks, make sure Ronan hears about it once Harris makes his move on me. D46, you do the same with Spike Mike."
"Ziggy, that's insane; you'll have every gangster in Corinth after you!" Chas yelled, moving over to him. He grabbed his half-brother by the shoulders. "It's suicide!"
"I have a plan. If this comes off, we'll end the war inside a week." He told them. "Just trust me, and listen carefully. We all have a part to play. If this is going to work, you all need to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I say."
"Ziggy, why are you doing this?" Fresno Bob asked him.
"I'm doing this for the same reason I grew up in an orphanage," he replied, before turning to Chas, "and the same reason you're doing this. I don't want my child to grow up in a world that's this messed up."
Fresno Bob and Chas smiled as they heard this. Although they had yet to have an opportunity to sit down and discuss everything and sort out where they stood with each other, neither of them could feel anything but happy to know that Ziggy was starting a family.
"I never said this enough back in the day Ziggy, but I'm proud of you." Fresno Bob told him. He phrased it that way to ensure neither Hicks nor D46 figured out what he really meant. They both knew Ziggy had worked for Fresno Bob in the past.
"Thanks." He replied, before gesturing them all into a huddle. "Now, here's what I need you all to do."